A player who transcended the norms and shattered barriers, Mithali Raj

For what has been a legendary career, Indian cricket talisman Mithali Raj has finally decided to hang her boots and bid farewell to all forms of cricket going ahead. 

For the past decade, the batter has been a household name and enjoyed a decorated career as India’s most successful player in the Women’s circuit. However, when women’s cricket was unrecognizable and unheard of, Mithali Raj shone through the norms.

Raj debuted in her first ODI at the age of 16 in 1999 against Ireland. The young gun scored an unbeaten 114 in her first ever battle in international cricket. And thus kicked off a career that would go on to define Indian women’s cricket.

The right-handed batswoman held the baton for Indian women’s cricket with her technically sound batting style and level headed captainship. 

In 2017, Mithali Raj surpassed Charlotte Edwards as the highest run-scorer in ODI cricket. Today, she retires with a total of 7,805 runs to her name in ODIs, the first to ever do so. Raj also became the first Indian woman cricketer and second overall to cross 10,000 runs in International cricket. 

The player shared a post on her Instagram talking about the end of her illustrious career. She stated in the post that she felt it was the perfect time to ‘call the curtains’ on her career. 

In the heartfelt message, Raj stated that even though she is retiring from playing cricket, she would love to be involved in the game and contribute more to Indian cricket. She recalled her early days and how she was just a ‘little girl' when she had first stepped foot on the cricket field.